Improvement in processes of forming pop-corn balls



G. A. BLODGET.

PROCESS OF FORMING POP-CORN BALLS.

No.181, 306 Patented Au g.2Z, 1876.

WW 1 fi mm yg N PETi-RS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON- D C.

PATENT OFFICE;

GARDNER A. BLODGETOF 'ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PROCESSES O F FORMING POP-CORN BALLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 181,306, dated August 22, 1876; application filed February 9, 1876.

Balls; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which the figure is a vertical longitudinal section of the press for sizing and shaping the balls, one

of the latter being shown therein.

My invention is an improvement in the art of manufacturing pop-corn balls; and consists in the process of their manufacture with a press of peculiar form, as I will now proceed to describe.

The pop-corn is first formed into a ball by hand,in the usual manner, and is then dropped into the concave recess formed in the lower press-block A. The upper press-block Bis also formed with a concave recess, which is next titted upon the ball, and the two blocks pressed together by hand, compacting and shaping the balls to the size and form of the press. The sphere formed-by the united concavities of the press-blocks is not perfectly round, but is largest in diameter at the faces of the blocks, for the purpose of facilitating theremoval of the pressed corn balls. The upper press-block is made a little longer than the lower one, to form projecting ends, which are grasped by the fingers of both hands in pressing this block down upon the corn ball. The pressing should be done quickly, and when completed the blocks are separated and the ball removed.

By this method of making pop-corn balls they can be formed of uniform size, according to the size of the press employed, and different presses may be used, so as to produce assorted sizes.

As pop-corn balls are-put up at the factory and sold to the retail trade in barrels, it becomes of much importance to know the contents of a barrel without the labor and time required to count the balls,as at present practiced. By my invention, the number of balls contained 'in one barrel having been determined, all the other barrels for that sized balls will contain a like amount. Thus the retail dealer, in purchasing a barrel, can with certainty calculate his profits.

Having thus described my invention,'what I claim is The improved process of manufacturing'popcorn balls, consisting of the following steps: first, forming the corn into balls or bunches by hand secondly, placing the balls thus formed into the concave recess of the lower press-block; thirdly, fitting the concave recess of the upper press-block down upon the projecting part of the ball in the lower block; fourthly, pressing the two blocks together to shape, compact, and size the ball; and,-1astly, removing the ball from the press-blocks, as herein set forth and shown.

GARDNER BLODGET.

Witnesses:

W. MERWIN, A. L. DERBY. 

